Diabetes Complications
Diabetes and its complications becoming the worrisome topic of the world’s most significant cause of morbidity and mortality. It is predicted that by 2040 there will be over 642 million people with diabetes in the world.
With the lifetime incidence of foot ulcers occurring in up to 25% of patients2, we need to drag our attention to the diabetic foot and switch our view to preventing ulcers rather than treating them. Diabetes morbidity rates are staggeringly high and the 5-year mortality rate, after a lower extremity amputation, is only second to lung cancer.
Diabetes eventually affects every part of the body, but mostly involves the feet first. The key to treating this disease is to get ahead of it and treat it in earlier stages. A paradigm shift is urgently needed to treat diabetic foot disease preventatively. As the diabetes pandemic progresses globally; so do foot complications and ulcers, which usually precede themajority of lower extremity amputations. More than half of all foot ulcers will become infected, requiring hospitalization and 20% of lower extremity infections will result in amputation.
Diabetes Complications:
People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing a number of serious health problems. Consistently high blood glucose levels can lead to serious diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth. In addition, people with diabetes also have a higher risk of developing infections. In almost all high-income countries, diabetes is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower limb amputation.
Maintaining blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol at or close to normal can help delay or prevent diabetes complications. Therefore people with diabetes need regular monitoring.
Nerve Disease
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetes can cause damage to the nerves throughout the body when blood glucose and blood pressure are too high. This can lead to problems with digestion, erectile dysfunction, and many other functions.
Among the most commonly affected areas are the extremities, in particular the feet. Nerve damage in these areas is called peripheral neuropathy, and can lead to pain, tingling, and loss of feeling. Loss of feeling is particularly important because it can allow injuries to go unnoticed, leading to serious infections and possible amputations.
People with diabetes carry a risk of amputation that may be more than 25 times greater than that of people without diabetes. However, with comprehensive management, a large proportion of amputations related to diabetes can be prevented. Even when amputation takes place, the remaining leg and the person’s life can be saved by good follow-up care from a multidisciplinary foot team. People with diabetes should regularly examine their feet.